Beyond the utilization of side impact beams, there have been various other approaches utilized to aid in the mitigation of possible injury of vehicle occupants in side impacts. One method is to increase the padding material inside the vehicle. Interior padding on the vehicle door is limited since increasing the interior padding on the door also diminishes the interior space available within the vehicle.
Another method is to provide a honeycomb structure between inner and outer panels of the vehicle. This structure is disadvantageous because it greatly adds complexity to manufacturing, often requiring many more welds. Additionally, such structures can substantially increase the weight of the door. The weight of the door works to diminish the environment efficiency of the vehicle.
Another technique to protect the vehicle occupant is to add an energy absorbing material between the inner and outer door structures. This technique is limited by the amount of space between the inner and outer panels, and it is often not sufficient to place the amount of energy absorbing material as desired. Also, if the energy-absorbing material placement arrangement between the inner and outer door structures is incorrectly designed, the arrangement may even further contribute to increased injury to the vehicle occupant.
It is desirable to improve upon the three above-mentioned techniques of passenger protection while at the same time minimizing vehicle weight and manufacturing complexity.